OT school discipline

I'm a teacher/ social worker and today a parent came in very upset because a teacher made her son (a 6th grader) write 75 sentences because he continued to misbehave in her class. The sentences were: I will be a more responsible 6th grader. He was to write these and bring them in the next day. The parent was upset because she felt that it was not the teachers job to discipline her child. I thought wow that was a good idea for misbehaving students and so did the other teachers I brought this up to. I also make my 7 yo write sentences when he misbehaves sometimes. Any thoughts?

I'm a teacher/ social worker and today a parent came in very upset because a teacher made her son (a 6th grader) write 75 sentences because he continued to misbehave in her class. The sentences were: I will be a more responsible 6th grader. He was to write these and bring them in the next day. The parent was upset because she felt that it was not the teachers job to discipline her child. I thought wow that was a good idea for misbehaving students and so did the other teachers I brought this up to. I also make my 7 yo write sentences when he misbehaves sometimes. Any thoughts?

I do not agree with the mother, but as an English teacher, I cringe at the punishment. I feel like you (general) should never use writing as a punishment. It sets the student up for a negative view of writing.

I do not agree with the mother, but as an English teacher, I cringe at the punishment. I feel like you (general) should never use writing as a punishment. It sets the student up for a negative view of writing.

While I support a teachers right to discipline students, writing lines is archaic, doesn't teach them anything and is not a best practice for modifying behavior. As a parent (and former teacher) I would probably first talk to the teacher and find a consequence that fits the crime and ask about their behavior strategies. If they blew me off I would go talk to the principal about it and possibly move my student if they aren't open to learning good behavior management of their classroom.

While I support a teachers right to discipline students, writing lines is archaic, doesn't teach them anything and is not a best practice for modifying behavior. As a parent (and former teacher) I would probably first talk to the teacher and find a consequence that fits the crime and ask about their behavior strategies. If they blew me off I would go talk to the principal about it and possibly move my student if they aren't open to learning good behavior management of their classroom.

I think it is obviously the teacher's job to discipline the student. Imagine the chaos at school if there was no discipline. I am not a fan of writing sentences as a punishment though. I can think of far more effective ways to do it.

I think it is obviously the teacher's job to discipline the student. Imagine the chaos at school if there was no discipline. I am not a fan of writing sentences as a punishment though. I can think of far more effective ways to do it.

I understand writing sentences to be old school but a lot of the stuff that was done to us in the "olden" days are the things that kept us in line. This teacher said she had to speak to the child several times throughout the week and he just wouldn't stop disrupting her class, she gave him the sentences and he was finally quiet. She said if the sentences hadn't worked she would have phoned the parents and if that failed he would have gotten a discipline referral.

I understand writing sentences to be old school but a lot of the stuff that was done to us in the "olden" days are the things that kept us in line. This teacher said she had to speak to the child several times throughout the week and he just wouldn't stop disrupting her class, she gave him the sentences and he was finally quiet. She said if the sentences hadn't worked she would have phoned the parents and if that failed he would have gotten a discipline referral.

Umm....yes. That parent is being ridiculous. Parents aren't there all day to discipline their own kids so someone has to. Teachers have to discipline students and that sounds like a fair and actually quite mild punishment to me.

Shoot, when I was a kid in private school back in the 80's, we got sent to the principal's office and had to bend over and hold our ankles while we got 5 or more smacks on the rear end with a wooden paddle with holes in it. Kid's lucky!

Umm....yes. That parent is being ridiculous. Parents aren't there all day to discipline their own kids so someone has to. Teachers have to discipline students and that sounds like a fair and actually quite mild punishment to me.

Shoot, when I was a kid in private school back in the 80's, we got sent to the principal's office and had to bend over and hold our ankles while we got 5 or more smacks on the rear end with a wooden paddle with holes in it. Kid's lucky!

I hate, hate, hate the idea of writing being a punishment and I would have let the teacher know that but in a respectful manner. For kids like mine that have a difficult time writing legibly and there for hate it already, this would have been the final straw. I hate the idea of wasting a child's time with busy work. That said, if my son's teacher had detained him, gave him a research project on the importance of order and discipline, asked him to write a letter to me explaining why he was choosing to be disruptive, I would have no problem at all. Simply writing "I will behave..." is pointless aside from being punitive and likely ineffective.

I hate, hate, hate the idea of writing being a punishment and I would have let the teacher know that but in a respectful manner. For kids like mine that have a difficult time writing legibly and there for hate it already, this would have been the final straw. I hate the idea of wasting a child's time with busy work. That said, if my son's teacher had detained him, gave him a research project on the importance of order and discipline, asked him to write a letter to me explaining why he was choosing to be disruptive, I would have no problem at all. Simply writing "I will behave..." is pointless aside from being punitive and likely ineffective.

My older kids are 8 & 7 and they have been writing sentences for misbehaving since they could write. There have been a few times that I made them write sentences for misbehaving in school and then had them take it to their teachers. I would fully support a teacher giving them an writing assignment for misbehaving.

My older kids are 8 & 7 and they have been writing sentences for misbehaving since they could write. There have been a few times that I made them write sentences for misbehaving in school and then had them take it to their teachers. I would fully support a teacher giving them an writing assignment for misbehaving.

In my experience schools pretty much are free-for-alls anyway. A lot of parents think their children can do no wrong and teachers have no right to discipline them. That's why society so messed up today. Take from a supply teacher who was told today by a grade 5 student that she is "fat" and "retarded." Yes I am 5 months pregnant and no I am not mentally challenged because I asked you not to throw things around the classroom. Please tell me this student hasn't been severely lacking in discipline.

In my experience schools pretty much are free-for-alls anyway. A lot of parents think their children can do no wrong and teachers have no right to discipline them. That's why society so messed up today. Take from a supply teacher who was told today by a grade 5 student that she is "fat" and "retarded." Yes I am 5 months pregnant and no I am not mentally challenged because I asked you not to throw things around the classroom. Please tell me this student hasn't been severely lacking in discipline.

Who is the one to determine these good behaviour management strategies? I think this is very subjective and it's part of the problem because what's appropriate in one parent's mind is not appropriate to another. Capital punishment in my opinion is also archaic and hasn't seemed to stop murder but alas it's still used in many places. Please people, don't jump down my throat for making the comparison, I'm just trying to say that opinions on punishment are so varied that its hard to keep everyone (or every parent) content. That's why teachers are allowed to exercise their professional judgement in the classroom.

Who is the one to determine these good behaviour management strategies? I think this is very subjective and it's part of the problem because what's appropriate in one parent's mind is not appropriate to another. Capital punishment in my opinion is also archaic and hasn't seemed to stop murder but alas it's still used in many places. Please people, don't jump down my throat for making the comparison, I'm just trying to say that opinions on punishment are so varied that its hard to keep everyone (or every parent) content. That's why teachers are allowed to exercise their professional judgement in the classroom.

Completely 100% agree with you. Writing should never be a form of punishment. The punishment should fit the crime. I'm this case, he should have to make up time after school for the amount of time he's goofing off.

Completely 100% agree with you. Writing should never be a form of punishment. The punishment should fit the crime. I'm this case, he should have to make up time after school for the amount of time he's goofing off.

This was one of my grandmother's favorite punishments. "I will not tell stories." "I will follow directions the first time they are given." The teacher was a lot nicer than my grandmother was. We had to write them 500x each.

I see nothing wrong with this punishment. 75 lines is not excessive. Mom needs to take some responsibility for her son and make him behave at school. If she disciplined at home maybe the teacher wouldn't have to. I also think children should be disciplined from all of their daily care givers. Obviously, I wouldn't be happy if the daycare teacher spanked DD but I have no problem with age appropriate/relationship appropriate disciplinary action.

This was one of my grandmother's favorite punishments. "I will not tell stories." "I will follow directions the first time they are given." The teacher was a lot nicer than my grandmother was. We had to write them 500x each.

I see nothing wrong with this punishment. 75 lines is not excessive. Mom needs to take some responsibility for her son and make him behave at school. If she disciplined at home maybe the teacher wouldn't have to. I also think children should be disciplined from all of their daily care givers. Obviously, I wouldn't be happy if the daycare teacher spanked DD but I have no problem with age appropriate/relationship appropriate disciplinary action.

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